Inspiration

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Inspiration

"Often as not, resilience ends up being the difference between success and failure." —David Jensen

The start of a new year may be largely symbolic, but it is a time when most of us try to reengage our good habits, renew our interests, and fix our flaws. Arguably, such new beginnings are especially important for new scientists: A lapse in energy or enthusiasm while writing a thesis, setting up a lab, or interviewing for jobs can do serious, long-term damage. If they aren't vigilant, established scientists, too, can succumb to routine and boredom, and productivity can take a hit.

So, to honor the new year and help scientists young and old recharge their batteries and renew their efforts toward achieving their research and career goals, we at Science Careers pulled together some of our most inspirational, empowering, and invigorating articles.

Goal-Setting Strategies for Scientific and Career Successby Cynthia N. Fuhrmann, Jennifer A. Hobin, Philip S. Clifford, and Bill Lindstaedt, 3 December 2013myIDP helps structure the process of setting and pursuing short-term goals as you move toward the fulfillment of your career aspirations.

Science as a Verbby Maria Fadri-Moskwik, 18 November 2013Maria Fadri-Moskwik often tells anyone who will listen that she has the best job she could imagine because she spends her day doing things that will allow her to better understand the world.

Why I Do Scienceby Sushil Devkota, 11 November 2013The euphoria of discovery and the knowledge that his discoveries may help someone provide Sushil Devkota sufficient motivation to keep pushing forward.

Shadowboxingby François L. Mayer, 9 October 2013An unorthodox teacher—of German literature—inspired François Mayer to pursue a career in science.

The Benefits of a Doubtby Niamh M. C. Connolly, 12 July 2013Doubt and uncertainty can be uncomfortable, but they have the potential to lead to better science.

Forging the Way for Other Minority Scientistsby Elisabeth Pain, 22 May 2013Realizing that she could be a potential inspiration to young students from underprivileged backgrounds made Knatokie Ford return to Harvard and finish her Ph.D.

Surviving as a Postdocby Charmaine Tam, 6 March 2013Australian postdoc Charmaine Tam shares tips on how to make it through this early phase of a research career.

Getting Back Your Mojoby Michael Price, 7 December 2012Psychologists share tips for figuring out what's sapping your enthusiasm—and how to get it back.

Life at the Bottleneckby Ruth Müller, 26 October 2012As a scholar of science and technology studies, it has been important for Ruth Müller to work out other potential interests and fields of occupation to increase her resilience to career anxieties.

Documenting Exposure for Disease Preventionby Elisabeth Pain, 21 September 2012Occupational health is a field where things are slow and difficult to change because of enormous economical stakes, but epidemiologist Emilie Counil finds in this inequity a source of motivation.

You Need a Game Planby Jennifer A. Hobin, Cynthia N. Furhmann, Bill Lindstaedt, and Philip S. Clifford, 7 September 2012New Web-based career-planning tool myIDP was created to help graduate students and postdocs in the sciences define and pursue their career goals.

Perspective: On Motivationby Jim Austin, 24 August 2012The best way to motivate scientists is to engage them, encourage them, and stay out of their way.

Science Training and Mental Healthby Micella Phoenix DeWhyse, 10 August 2012Many science trainees who suffer and fail could excel if they just had a little more support to help them build resilience in the face of failure.

A Career on the Fenceby Elisabeth Pain, 27 July 2012According to electrical and computer engineering researcher and former fencing athlete Mark J. T. Smith, you’re not going to survive an academic career if you don’t balance family life and your research life.

Career Q&A: Lia Mermingaby Marissa Fessenden, 1 June 2012Not all ideas are good, but don’t stop at the first "no." Determination and perseverance are very important in science.

Career Q&A: From Science to Fictionby Elisabeth Pain, 20 April 2012Pharmacologist Amàlia Lafuente dedicated her novel about a female postdoc who overcomes a situation of sexual harassment to young scientists and their pure, idealistic view of science.

On Shaky Groundby Yassar Alamri, 30 September 2011Researchers must learn to have uncertainty as their prime motivation.

CREDIT: Justin Siegel

A Father-and-Son Journey Into Synthetic Biologyby Elisabeth Pain, 2 September 2011Justin Siegel inherited a fascination for enzymes and a motivation to get young people interested in science as early as possible from his scientist father, Brock.

Mind Matters: Resilienceby Irene S. Levine, 10 June 2011A growing body of research and experience suggests that individuals possessing personal resilience are more likely to overcome career roadblocks.

Mind Matters: Anxiety in the Workplaceby Irene S. Levine, 10 September 2010Everyone feels a bit nervous from time to time, and a little anxiety can improve performance—but excessive anxiety can be disabling and derail careers.

In Person: How Our Adventures Led to Careers in Scienceby Kolby and Angela Jardine, 3 September 2010The couple’s inspiration for their research on how water, soil, vegetation, and the atmosphere interact with one another comes from their "science adventures" around the world.

CREDIT: Wyatt Gallery

Franziska Michor

Scientist's Work Bridges Math and Cancerby Sarah A. Webb, 13 August 2010Carrying out her work in a medical center and next to a hospital provides mathematician Franziska Michor an added motivation for her work.

Re-Visioning a Careerby Robin Mejia, 23 July 2010Computer scientist David Price found inspiration in the challenges posed by his disability.

Audacity, Part 5: Rejection and Ridiculeby Anne Sasso, 11 June 2010If your scientific project is audacious—and you’re right—you will need a thick skin and persistence to push it through the criticism.

In Person: The Pursuit of Happinessby Huda Akil, 14 August 2009Playing with her 2-year-old granddaughter allows neuroscientist Huda Akil to lift her spirits while inspiring her research.

Career Renewal for Established Scientistsby Elisabeth Pain, 26 June 2009Some senior faculty members continue to be productive, whereas others become deadwood or just meander along. What factors make the difference?

Rejuvenation Tips for Tenured Facultyby Elisabeth Pain, 26 June 2009Staying engaged, motivated, and productive for the decades that stretch beyond tenure can be challenging, but there are ways to keep going.

Testimony of a Young Christian Scientistby Elisabeth Pain, 20 February 2009Chemist Imre Miklós Szilágyi’s religious faith has given him the ambition to achieve more and more in all fields of life, including science.

Creative Ways to Energize Your Careerby Carol Milano, 12 September 2008Science faculty can transform their training and expertise into stimulating new professional activities well beyond their job descriptions. (Special feature published by the AAAS/Science Custom Publishing Office)

Mind Matters: Get Movingby Irene S. Levine, 25 July 2008Scientists who build regular exercise into their daily routines report that it gives them more energy, boosts their productivity at work, clears their minds, and helps them cope better.

Home Stretch to Graduationby Elisabeth Pain, 18 April 2008Getting to the point where your dissertation is ready for submission and, importantly, coming away with a sense of fulfillment and some enthusiasm for the next challenge means dealing with lots of annoying distractions and carefully traversing some uneven emotional ground.

No, You're Not an Impostorby Lucas Laursen, 15 February 2008Plenty of people get their motivation by comparing themselves to peers and trying to keep up or get ahead, but this can be counter-productive for people with the "impostor" phenomenon.

Mastering Your Ph.D.: Celebrate Your Successby Bart Noordam and Patricia Gosling, 25 May 2007Scientific research can be a long and tedious process, which makes it all the more important to pat yourself on the back every now and then.

Same School, Different Degree, All Part of the Planby Clinton Parks, 17 February 2006Although she did her share of praying and crying, seeing other people of color with graduate degrees gave Cherie Butts hope that she could finish with an excellent academic record.

Un Enfant des Etoilesby Elisabeth Pain, 20 January 2006Astronomer Eric Hébrard’s Ph.D. project, which was related to the Huygens mission to Titan, enabled him to see a place that people knew very little about.

Developing Resilienceby David Jensen, 18 November 2005Often as not, resilience ends up being the difference between success and failure.

The End of the Roadby Phil Dee, 28 October 2005Our awareness of our primary driving force is of greatest help when we need to make tough career decisions.

Getting to the End of Your Ph.D.by The Career Doctor, 26 August 2005Those who finish their Ph.D. on schedule (and on funding) are few; this requires some serious planning and motivation.

Mind Matters: On Balanceby Irene S. Levine, 22 July 2005You may be able to do it for days, weeks, or even months, but over the long haul, no one can continually juggle an unrealistic set of roles and responsibilities.

Straight Out of Science Fictionby Charles Choi, 11 March 2005In her days as a physics major, Deborah Jackson drew much of her inspiration from the rich environment of role models she found at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

Navigating the First Year of Graduate Schoolby Takita Sumter, 18 February 2005Takita Sumter was able to succeed in her transition into graduate school and beyond thanks to good mentors, excellent time management skills, perseverance, and confidence.

Bouncing Backby Edna Francisco, 10 June 2004What happens to scientists when they leave their jobs to tend a major illness or injury? Three women tell the story of how they dealt with their ordeals and got their careers back on track.

Nothing Is Impossible to a Willing Heartby Takita Felder, 21 May 2004While we would all like instant gratification for our hard work and effort, success in science, and in any area, takes time and patience.

Space Timeby Robin Arnette, 19 December 2003One key to making great contributions is to set a vision of where you want to go and be ready to fall down 10 times and stand up 11.

A Stimulating Environmentby Sylvie Coupaud, 26 September 2003For biomedical engineer Sylvie Coupaud, working with people who do not let their extensive disabilities get them down gives her an extra boost to keep going.

Renaissance Womanby Ingfei Chen, 20 June 2003Nadia Rosenthal, who landed in a tough, sexist, and competitive environment for her Ph.D., found that this early experience has helped her tough it out throughout her career.

Road-Trip Rejuvenationby Kathie Sindt, 4 April 2003Identifying your strengths and weaknesses will help you have a better time—and more success—on whatever professional road you're on.

Head Rushby Ingfei Chen, 13 November 2002For biologist William Sonntag, attacking the dullness of everyday routine—and just plain having fun—is one key to happiness in life as well as science.

MSN Hero-Juan E. Gilbert, Ph.D.by Juan Gilbert, 15 February 2002The early career story of Juan E. Gilbert—who today holds the Presidential Endowed Chair in Computing and is the chair of the Human-Centered Computing Division at Clemson University—is an illustration of mentoring and motivation.

Underrepresented Minorities in Science: Double Jeopardyby Shree Whitaker, 2 March 2001In preparation for her written exams, black female mathematician Shree Whitaker mixed the destructive remarks of one of her professors with her pain-stricken pride, creating the self-motivation she needed to reach her goal.

The Single-Minded Pursuitby David Jensen, 13 August 1999A fair number of people achieve their career goals faster and without the agony that many others experience when looking for the same opportunities. These unique people have learned to focus by making a single-minded pursuit out of their mission.